The Houston Rockets selected Royce White with the No. 16 pick in the 2012 draft.

He spent a year with the Rockets while anxiety issues kept him from being with the team and was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, who cut him before this season began. At this point, it appears to be a huge longshot White will ever play in the NBA.

Since 1972, just five other players have been drafted that high without playing in the NBA:

Nerlens Noel (No. 6 in 2013 by 76ers)Lucas Nogueira (No. 16 in 2013 by Hawks)Fran Vasquez (No. 11 in 2005 by Magic)Frederic Weis (No. 15 in 1999 by Knicks)Len Bias (No. 2 in 1986 by Celtics)Noel will obviously get on the court, perhaps as early as this season. Nogueira has plenty of time to come stateside.

That leaves White in rare, though not quite unprecedented, company as Rockets general manager Daryl Morey suggests.